The Langley Knights ran into one of the Pacific Junior Hockey League’s hottest teams Sunday afternoon.
The Grandview Steelers stretched their win streak to three games with a 6-5 win over the Knights at the Burnaby Winter Club.
The win gives the Steelers a 5-2 record, and their 10 points ties them with the 5-1 Richmond Sockeyes for top spot in the PJHL’s Tom Shaw Conference.
The Knights fell to 3-3, which leaves the local junior Bs in a three-way tie for first place in the Harold Brittain Conference with the Ridge Meadows Flames (also 3-3) and Aldergrove Kodiaks (2-1-1-1).
Going into the first intermission, it looked as though the Steelers’ win streak was in jeopardy.
The Knights jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the opening 20 minutes of play on goals from Blake Gorrill, Tristan Craighead, and a power play marker from Colin Catchpole.
The Steelers stormed back with four unanswered goals in second period, including back-to-back markers off the stick of Joel Gaudet.
The Knights’ Jayden Gill stopped the bleeding when he scored at the 13:20 mark of the middle frame to tie the score at 4-4.
A minute and 25 seconds after Gill’s goal, the Steelers’ Connor Burk scored his second of the game to give Grandview a 5-4 advantage going into the second intermission.
In the third period, Carson Rose tied the score for the Knights at the 6:01 mark.
However, with 6:54 to play in regulation, Burk completed his hat trick on a Steelers power play.
The goal stood up as the game winner.
The Steelers outshot the Knights 32-17.
Knights 11, Port Moody Panthers 6
If you like high-scoring games, the Knights and Panthers fit the bill Thursday in Brookswood.
The Knights gave up six goals to the visiting Panthers, but hit double digits in scoring themselves in an 11-6 victory at the George Preston Recreation Centre.
The Knights led 3-1 after the first period and 7-2 after 40 minutes of play.
The teams scored four goals each in the third period.
Dylan McCann led the Knights’ offence with a hat trick and an assist.
Rose and Oliver Alcock both had two-goal games.
Alex Kalau, Donovan Shambeau, Mitchell Biermann, and Levi De Waal (who added three assists), rounded out the scoring for the Knights, who had eight players with multiple point games.
The Knights will look for their fourth win of the season this Thursday, Oct. 2, when they host the Ridge Meadows Flames at the GPRC. Opening puck drop is 7:30 p.m.